Appalachia

Appalachia is a partly rural, partly urbanized and industrialized region in and around the Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern U.S., extending through parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas, western Virginia, and West Virginia, through central Pennsylvania to southwestern New York. The actual expanse of this land is more generally shared by local residents all along the rural mountain chain; it's not so exclusive of the New England and Quebec mountains which comprise a part. The Eastern Townships of southeastern Quebec share this culture. It has long been thought to be characterized by a unique culture, considered backwards by many city folk, but such characterizations have recently been seriously challenged by scholars organized into the Appalachian Studies Association. The Ozark mountain area has been similarly characterized, and similarly misunderstood. \nThe Foxfire books were a popular, somewhat romantic effort to document the Appalachian culture. Al Capp caricatured Appalachia/Ozark culture with hillbilly Li'l Abner in his cartoon strip Dogpatch. The Dukes of Hazzard and The Beverly Hillbillies were caricature television programs. The movies Coal Miner's Daughter and The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel give a more sensitive and accurate portrayal of life in Appalachia. A now long-running series of documentary films by Appalachian Film Workshop take a more historical and critical view of the region, including especially such endemic and pervasive problems as those associated with coal mining, strip mining, and related social and economic issues. The Waltons, a long running family TV serial, was sited in western Virginia. Bluegrass music is popularly thought to have originated in the region, but actually owes more to non-Appalachian genres such as jazz and blues.